Big things are happening at Firaxis. The studio behind Marvel's Midnight Suns and the XCOM series has new leadership after longtime studio head Steve Martin departed for greener pastures after 25 years. And as new leadership steps in, they're making a big splash by announcing that a new Civilization game is in development."Hot off the presses," announced Firaxis on the official Civilization Twitter account. "Next Civ game in development!" We have no information about this Civ game, so we're going to assume it’s Civilization 7 until we hear otherwise, although it could very well be something entirely different like Civilization: Beyond Earth or Civilization: Revolution.Replacing Martin as studio head will be Heather Hazen, the studio's chief operating officer. Hazed joined Firaxis in 2020 after a stint as executive producer on Fortnite, and before that she worked as executive producer at PopCap Games on Plants vs. Zombies and Bejeweled.
"I'm thrilled to have this opportunity to carry on the studio's storied legacy, beginning with the announcement that Firaxis is in development on the next iteration of the legendary Civilization franchise," Hazen said in a statement. "I’m lucky to be working with some of the best developers in our industry, and we have plans to take the Civilization franchise to exciting new heights for our millions of players around the world. In addition, we will continue to support Marvel’s Midnight Suns with post-launch content, and explore new creative projects for our teams."
Additionally, former creative director Jake Solomon will be leaving Firaxis after more than 20 years. Solomon was "instrumental" in the development of both the XCOM franchise as well as Marvel's Midnight Suns.
"I’m embarking on a new chapter; however, I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to fulfill my dreams at Firaxis Games," said Solomon. "I’m thankful to everyone who enjoyed XCOM and Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and to my development and publishing partners who helped bring those games to life."
Ed Beach will reportedly stay on as creative director for the new Civilization game.